Alyssa’s Quinoa Coconut Macaroons

This guest post is from Alyssa, The Queen of Quinoa. We met on Twitter before Nourished and I immediately like her. As she says below, we met in person at Nourished and became fast friends. I adore Alyssa’s passion for healthy food and her unique point of view – everything quinoa! Stop by her blog, The Queen of Quinoa, and make sure to follow her on Twitter, Google Plus and Facebook too.

The first time I met Amy was at the Nourished Food Blogger Conference this past April. She had only had Nate a short 6 weeks before, and was missing him like crazy, but of course she looked radiant and you could see the joy in her face as she watched how much we all loved being there.

What struck me most about Amy was her passion for healthy and nutritious ingredients. It practically emanated from her with each word she spoke. As a huge fan of SS&GF, I’ve noticed (and adore) that she loves making desserts healthier, and I have to agree with her. When you bite into a healthy, freshly baked cookie, oozing with warm chocolate (or carob) goodness, it’s bliss. One of the most gratifying things on earth. A smile instantly creeps onto your face.

I too love healthy foods, quinoa being the superfood star in my diet, and I try to add this amazing little seed (yes it’s a seed, not a grain like many believe it to be) into as many meals as I can, including dessert. Especially cookies.

I’m a huge fan of cookies. All kinds. Preferably those with chocolate. But this time my heart wasn’t calling for rich, decadent, chocolatey goodness, but for the tropical taste of coconut instead. I immediately thought of coconut macaroons – they’re easy to make, have very few ingredients and are fairly forgiving, lending themselves well to experiments. And my personal experiments usually involve quinoa.

These macaroons are magnificent. They’re crunchy on the outside, coated with the flavor of toasted coconut, but soft and gooey on the inside. They’re melt-in-your-mouth good. And to add to their fabulousness, they’re naturally gluten-free, refined sugar-free and full of protein from the quinoa. The perfect little treat.

How do you make cookies healthier? And how do you use quinoa?

Yields Makes 16 cookies

Alyssa’s Quinoa Coconut Macaroons

This recipe was shared with Simply Sugar & Gluten Free by Alyssa Rimmer of Queen of Quinoa.

Begin by tempering the eggs, which will create a nice crispy cookie exterior. Place the bowl over a pot with boiling water inside and whisk the eggs and honey together until creamy and warm. Test with your finger - if they’re warm to the touch, they’re tempered.

When the egg and honey mixture is warm to the touch, take the bowl off the heat and mix in coconut, quinoa and salt.

Chill in the fridge for at least two hours.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and line a baking sheet with a non-stick baking mat or double parchment paper (the bottoms are sensitive and will burn easily).

Using an ice cream scoop or two spoons, scoop the coconut quinoa dough onto the baking sheet. You will probably need to form the cookies into little round half domes with your fingers, pressing them together tightly so they are sure to stick together while baking.

Bake in the center of a warm oven for 15 minutes until the cookies are nice and golden brown.

Let them cool for at least 10 minutes or until completely cooled. Enjoy!

Alyssa Rimmer is the quinoa obsessed girl behind the gluten-free blog, the Queen of Quinoa. She loves experimenting with nutritious and whole-food ingredients, and seeks to encourage the everyday home chef that cooking and eating gluten-free can not only be healthy, but also delicious and fun. With the her blog, Alyssa shares her gluten-free recipes, many of which are focused on the superfood quinoa, and discusses her journey to living a more fulfilled and healthy life. She now also cooks refined sugar-free and although not all her of recipes are vegan, she has loved learning and experimenting with vegan baking.

Comments

These look really yummy! Do you or Alyssa have any thoughts what might be the best substitute for the eggs if necessary? (I'm still off eggs due to my daughter's allergies - but allergist said we may be able to try in well-cooked baked goods soon).
Thanks for sharing and enjoy your weekend!

@Devin @ Nom Yum Free,
Thanks :) In this particular recipe, I don't think there is a direct substitute for the eggs. You could try a flax egg, but I don't think they would give you same texture and shape. I would suggest trying a version of an egg-free macaroon, many of which are flour based and use coconut oil and honey to hold them together.
I did a few quick searches and there are definitely some great sounds recipes out there. Up next will be for me to test an egg-free version :)
xo Alyssa

@Alyssa | Queen of Quinoa,
Thank you for the suggestions!
And glad to have come across your blog. I just love quinoa. I knew it was versatile, but your blog goes even farther than I could imagine!
Thanks for sharing!

Perfect timing!
Just a few days ago I decided quinoa was my saving grace. While my family is gluten-free, I decided I wanted to go grain free for myself. I've had quinoa as a savory and a sweet, but only used like a rice substitute before. I made a quinoa pizza crust and discovered the possibilities of quinoa blended. I'm thrilled to use quinoa in as many things as possible now. I'll certainly be checking out the Queen of Quinoa's blog!

I tried using some cooked quinoa in a cookie recipe once and the quinoa became hardened again, making the cookies almost impossible to eat. Has this ever happened to you, or do you have any cooking techniques to avoid this? It wasn't hardened like pebbles, more like tough, stick-to-your-teeth chewy, like half-rehydrated bulger.
I love quinoa, and I really want this to work!

@Susan,
I've never experienced that before with quinoa. Sometimes I have the opposite problem (especially with granola), that the quinoa doesn't dry out enough. Could you describe the cookies you made? Perhaps there wasn't enough liquid in the batter and the quinoa dried out. The baking time could have also affected it I imagine.
Also, how long did you cook the quinoa before you added it? Maybe next time try cooking it a little longer so it's softer (potentially a little over done).
This recipe worked out well for me. I'll be doing more experimenting and will let you know!
xo Alyssa

I used a 5-ingredient chocolate coconut cookie recipe that I found on another blog. I just substituted a cup of cooked quinoa for part of the coconut to see what would happen. I didn't add any additional liquids. I guess I should have!
I also had this happen (the drying out) when I tried putting cooked quinoa into granola. I do cook my quinoa a bit differently than most. 101 Cookbooks has a method where you cook it with only 1.5 cups of water per cup of quinoa, but you cook it for about 25 minutes rather than the standard 15. I really like that texture better, as it tends to be more rice-like...great for stir-fries or using in quinoa patties. So I've made it that way ever since. However, that also may be my downfall when trying to use it in other recipes. I will make a batch with the standard method and try your cookies. Stay tuned!

Well, I tried them again. The "normal" cooking method, coupled with the chill time in the fridge to absorb more liquid did make them more moist and tender. However, I didn't put them in an air-tight box soon enough, and by the next day, they had some dry, tough nuggets of quinoa. I guess I need to manage my moisture better to use quinoa in cookies.
BTW, I cooked half the batch per the recipe, then added about a tablespoon of cocoa powder and a handful of mini-chocolate chips to the other half before baking them off. Yummerz!

@Liana Kernish, Sorry to hear they fell apart on you. Did you really press them together before baking? I found that you really have to shape them with your fingers. I think that will help! Let me know if you try again :)

@Skimler, Same question I just asked to Liana, did you really press them together and form them into the mounds with your fingers? These are delicate cookies so shaping them helps them hold their structure. Let me know if you try them again :)

I tried this recipe today and they were delicious.
Here is a picture to show you how beautiful they came out : http://i79.servimg.com/u/f79/12/15/22/15/img_3610.jpg
Thank you very much for this recipe !
Sara

Greate article. Keep writing such kind of information on your blog.
Im really impressed by it.
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i made these today and even though I pressed them together well, they didn't hold up at all. Put them back in and baked for another 10 minutes. Almost burnt and still didn't hold up. Followed recipie to tee!
Tasted good but disappointed

About Amy

Living free of refined sugars and gluten since 2004 has allowed me to live a fulfilled, healthy life. My food cravings, migraines, and depression vanished and was able to maintain a 60+ pound weight loss. Today I live with enormous freedom. Join me as I create healthier food that's delicious. I'll help you do the same.